Bracing For A Hurried Halloween

If you're heading out to trick-or-treat tonight, you might want to walk fast.

With dusk coming an hour later than in previous years, you could have less time to knock on doors and collect candy from neighbors. Some communities don't begin trick-or-treating until dusk.

And if you stay out too late in some places - including Newport News and Hampton - city code allows police officers to charge you with a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $250.

Dusk tonight will come at 6:38 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. That's about an hour later than last year thanks to changes in Daylight Saving Time. In previous years we changed our clocks back an hour on the Sunday before Halloween, but this year we don't return to Standard Time until Nov. 4.

Police say that only in rare cases would they charge someone, and that for the most part officers will ask children who are out too late or who are too old to trick-or-treat to go home.

Going door-to-door isn't the only option for kids in costumes tonight. More than 85 percent of the retailers at Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News will be giving out treats from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

"Last year it was so popular that we added an extra hour for this year," mall spokeswoman Mikia Ross said.

Shops at Prime Outlets in Williamsburg are also giving out candy from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

And several area churches are hosting fall festivals with treats and games tonight.

"Each year we provide the service to the community to give them an option that is safe," said Donna Clingenpeel, administrative assistant at Temple Baptist Church on Harpersville Road in Newport News. "It's a great way to outreach to the community."

HALLOWEEN TIPS

DO:

* Visit houses that have the lights on.

* Knock on the front door (not the back or side door).

* Use the sidewalk, if available.

* Carry a flashlight and look both ways before crossing the street.

* Make sure you can see well out of your mask or substitute face paint for a mask.

DON'T:

* Enter a home, even to use the bathroom.

* Get in a stranger's car.

* Cut through yards.

* Eat unwrapped candy or anything homemade or fresh, like an apple.

* Eat anything until your parents check it out.

* Pick up candy off the street.

* Stay out past the time when trick-or-treating ends in your community.

* Trick-or-treat alone.

Sources: Newport News and Hampton police departments

ONLINE EXTRA

HRTownSquare.com has two new holiday photo galleries for you to enjoy - one for Thanksgiving and for Christmas. Visit dailypress.com/thanksgivingphotos and dailypress.com /christmasphotos to view and upload your family photos.

RULES YOU NEED TO KNOW TO TRICK-OR-TREAT BY

NEWPORT NEWS

Time: Trick-or-treating ends at

8 p.m.

Ages: Anyone who has reached the seventh-grade or is over 12 years of age is prohibited from participating in trick-or-treating.

Other rules: Parents or guardians accompanying a child may not wear a mask of any type. Violators may be subject to a misdemeanor fine of up to $250.

HAMPTON

Time: Dusk-8 p.m.

Ages: Must be 12 years old or younger.

YORK COUNTY

Time: 6-8 p.m.

Ages: Must be 12 years old or younger to trick-or-treat.

Other rules: Residents are asked to turn on porch lights to identify homes that wish to receive trick-or-treaters.